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Greece's Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis arrived in war-ravaged Beirut
on Wednesday, on the second day of a Middle East tour that includes
stops in Cyprus, Jordan and Israel, and met her Lebanese counterpart
Fawzi Salloukh. After their meeting, Salloukh warmly praised Greece's
stance during Israel's attack against Lebanon, saying that Greece took
decisions "did it credit" and had asked for a ceasefire as soon as the
war began.

"There would not be so many dead, or such great destruction of
infrastructure, if it had been heard," he added.

He asked for Greece to support the lifting of the blockade against
Lebanon, the cessation of hostilities that are still continuing and to
intercede with Israel so that it implemented UN Security Council
resolution 1701.

Bakoyannis expressed condolences for the many Lebanese civilians killed
in the fighting and arranged to meet her Lebanese counterpart in Beirut
again "in a new era of peace".

In addition to Salloukh, the Greek foreign minister had successive
meetings with Lebanese Parliament Speaker and leader of the Shiite
party Nabih Berri, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Beirut's
Orthodox Metropolitan Ilias.

Wrapping up her meetings in Beirut, Bakoyannis stressed that it had
been a "particularly interesting visit from which a clear message
emerged: that implementation of the Security Council resolution will be
difficult but must take place in order for the necessary steps of
progress to follow."

She also expressed satisfaction that Greece's contribution both during
the crisis and in the process for preserving the peace had been
recognised.

The first stop of Bakoyannis' three-day tour of the Middle East,
carried out in preparation for Greece's assumption of the rotating
monthly UN Security Council presidency on September 1, was in Cyprus.

Bakoyannis arrived in Nicosia on Tuesday afternoon and departed
Wednesday morning for Lebanon, while her next stops are Jordan and
Israel.

She departed Beirut for Amman on Wednesday afternoon, where she met
with Jordanian officials as well as Palestinian Authority President
Mahmoud Abbas, who is currently on a visit there.

While in Cyprus, she noted that the country played an "exceptional,
important and strategic role" in the recent Middle East crisis. She
stressed the Cypriot people's humanitarian response and hospitality in
responding to the needs that arose from the crisis in Lebanon, while
highlighting the swift reaction of both Greece and Cyprus to the crisis
and their contribution to the evacuation of local residents and foreign
nationals fleeing the war zone.

"Greece and Cyprus were and are present, responding to the sentiments
of their peoples," Bakoyannis said, adding that her Middle East tour
sought to "examine the situation at first-hand".

During a working dinner hosted by Cyprus president Tassos Papadopoulos
on Tuesday night, the two officials exchanged views on and reviewed
developments in the Middle East, the Cyprus issue, and EU-Turkey
relations, in view of the EU progress report for Turkey to be issued in
October.

Bakoyannis will seek to contribute to diplomatic efforts for the full
implementation of UNSCR 1701 during her meetings with Middle East
government officials and will also press for full respect of the
fragile truce recently agreed, in order to allow the distribution of
humanitarian aid.

Other goals of the trip include the support and reinforcement of the
Lebanese government, understanding Israel's security concerns,
attempting to establish a permanent and lasting solution for the
Palestinian problem, and promoting efforts for peace.

Bakoyannis-Abbas meeting in Amman

Bakoyannis, following her departure from Beirut, visited Amman on
Wednesday afternoon where she met with Palestinian Authority President
Mahmoud Abbas who is currently on a visit to Jordan.

In statements after their meeting, the Greek foreign minister referred
to the long-time relations between Greece and the Palestinian
Territories and to the talks she had with the Palestinian leader,
during which Abbas emphasised his efforts to set up a new government
and expressed his views on the crisis in Lebanon.

"Greece is undertaking the presidency the UN Security Council next
month and consequently, we are interested in these views as we wish to
coordinate our efforts," said Bakoyannis. She further noted the
European Union's steadfast position for active participation in the
Palestinian issue.

Bakoyannis was due on Wednesday evening to attend a dinner hosted by
her Jordanian counterpart Abdelah Al-Khatib.

On Thursday morning, Bakoyannis will be received by King Abdullah II
and by Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit.

Greece' Deputy Foreign Minister Theodoros Kassimis is due to arrive in
the Australian city of Melbourne on August 31 at the head of a ministry
delegation. His official contacts will begin on Friday, when he is
scheduled to meet the local archbishop, Melbourne's Lord Mayor Joe So
and attend a dinner given in his honour by Greek-Australian MPs and
senators at the Melbourne State Parliament.

During the rest of his visit, Kassimis will visit Greek community
schools and organisations, visit the National Centre of Greek Studies
and Research and hold talks with representatives of the
Greek-Australian community.

"The Aegean, an interspersed city", is the title of Greece's
participation in the prestigious international Venice Architectural
Biennale. The 10th International Architectural Exhibition, which takes
place from September 10 to November 19 in Venice, Italy, features
participants from 50 countries on four different continents. The 2006
Venice Archtectural Biennale theme is "Cities: Architecture and
Society".

The central concept of the Greek participation is to present the Aegean
as a city, the organisers of the Greek participation told a press
conference on Wednesday, while culture minister George Voulgarakis said
that this year's Greek exhibition aims to link the Greek sea with the
Mediterranean civilisation and the European dimension.

The Greek display is curated by architects Katerina Kotzia, Elias
Constantopoulos, Lois Papadopoulos and Korina Filoxenidou, and
organised by the General Secretariat for Modern Culture's fine arts
directorate.

This year's Biennale focuses on the key factors facing large scale
metropolitan areas around the world, from migration to mobility, from
social integration to sustainable growth.

The Greek pavilion, which will cover a 350 sq.m. expanse in the
Giardini Gardens, where the exhibition will take place, attempts to
convey sentiments of a traveller to the Aegean, while a platform Square
with scattered luggage will give a sense of travel.